Biblical Answers for the Anxious

Philippians 4:6–7 KJV 1900

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Introduction

Just the other day, I had to pick my 3 oldest kids up from school because Kassi had an appointment. The short trip from their school to our house was anything but peaceful, which is nothing new in our household, I’ve gotten used to it for the most part. This day was a little different though, not because the kids were being anymore difficult than usual, but because I was more burdened down with the cares of life than usual. It was just one of those days. Papaw was in the hospital and not doing well at all, I was balancing different doctor’s appointments and other obligations throughout the week, trying to make time for Bible study and devotion to God, trying to be committed to ministry, beating myself up about my shortcomings as a father, husband, and Christian. I found that when I picked the kids up, I was particularly on-edge, even more than I normally am. So the constant bickering coming from the back seat was not welcome. Nellie kid yells at me to tattle because Liam is looking at her, and I try to ignore it. Ignoring it is not the answer, because if I don’t make Liam stop looking at Nellie, she will take matters into her own hands, she does so this time with a smack to the face. Liam screams in a piercing voice, “HEY YOU DON’T HIT ME” and strikes back with a bunch to Nellie’s stomach. Before I can even get words out of mouth, Tember intervenes, “Hey, Nellie is a baby. You don’t hit her.” And she gives Liam a whack on the back of the head. I try to get back some sense of control, and quickly and sternly tell each of them to keep their hands to themselves and mind their own business or they’ll all be in trouble, to which they all determine that a very loud and dramatic harmonization of crying is the appropriate answer. It’s no exaggeration to say that in that moment, I thought my head may explode or I may have a heart attack then and there. The overload of my senses, along with the worries and burdens I was already carrying, was simply too much. I started to weigh my options. Clearly a stern command to quiet down would only lead to more screaming. Drowning them out with the radio would only be more overwhelming to the senses. The old idea of just driving off and never looking back was out of the question, since three of the sources of my anxiety were firmly planted in my back seat. As I often do, I went through every possibly worldly solution before finally remembering that I have a heavenly Father who specializes in solving problems, and I finally called out, loudly, “Lord please help us!” Which often is all it takes. Sure enough, almost immediately a Scripture that I had long ago memorized came to mind. “Be anxious for nothing...” my mind began to recite.

In that moment of pure chaos, I’m going to be honest, I found myself just a little bit irritated that Paul would have written such a command. This is the same Paul who boasted that he had chosen not to be married and have children because of the burden that comes with that life, so I knew with certainty that he didn’t understand some of the particular struggles I was facing in the moment. And rather than resting in the Biblical promise, my negative mind began to rant about this statement. How in the world are you going to command someone not to be anxious? You might as well walk into a cancer wing of a hospital and say, “Don’t be sick.” But then I tried to reason with myself, reminding myself that it is not my place to question God’s commands, and that if He says to do something, I ought to just shut up and do it. So I tried.

“Don’t be anxious.” I commanded myself. I took some deep breaths, tried to think positively, looked around at the beautiful scene outside. But I couldn’t do it. In fact, the harder I tried, the more I realized how hopeless it was. First, simply hopeless in that I couldn’t stop this overwhelming feeling of anxiety, but then the hopelessness descended even further, as I began to realize that I was completely unable to do what God was commanding me to do. I was anxious, and since God tells me not to be anxious, I was therefore sinning and I couldn’t stop. This made me very anxious to think about. Another failure on my part. Another thing to repent about. Another thing to add to the long list of things about myself that must be worked on.

What I didn’t realize, in that particular moment, is that I had forgotten the rest of the passage! The Bible doesn’t stop with, “Be anxious for nothing”. So let’s go on and see what the true biblical answers are to this issue that has always plagued us as people.

What is Anxiety?

The definition of anxiety is: an intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear. It is likely something we have all faced at some point, and something many of us face on a daily basis. Anxiety can show itself in a multitude of situations, some of them which are understandable, and some of which do not merit the level of peace and joy that they rob from us. sources of anxiety range from things like sickness, loss of loved ones, financial struggles, worrying about our children, social anxiety, public speaking, deadlines in school or work, messy houses, etc. There is seemingly no end to the amount of things that can make us anxious. Those of us who have had battles with anxiety know that it can be a crippling thing. It is more than simply worrying about what’s going to happen, it is a deep and persistent fear which can cause us to feel sick, hopeless, and unable to act. In the case of Jamie Hager, it can even cause you to throw away the money spent on a plain ticket, and spend even more money to rent a car and drive from Florida to Tennessee in the middle of the night, because the anxiety of flying has overwhelmed all of your common sense. It really is a serious issue, and it can be devastating to our walk with God, causing us to doubt His love and care for us and to lose our faith and trust in Him.

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow—only today of its strength.

Charles Spurgeon

What does the Bible say about it? Is Anxiety a sin?

Although the Bible does tell us time and time again that it is not God’s desire for us to worry and be anxious, it is also clear that God is completely aware of the fact that human beings will struggle with anxiety. In considering what the Bible has to say about anxiety, I’ve often found myself wondering whether or not anxiety is a sin. I’ve been reading and studying about this a lot in the past little bit, because the mere thought of my anxiety being a sin against God is a source of anxiety in and of itself. Through study and prayer, I have come to the belief that while anxiety itself is not necessarily sinful, it is the fruit of a sinful nature. The very first sin, and the root of all sin, is